How long should a digital SLR last?

[JTWindham]

I purchased my wife a Canon XSi 3.5 years ago. She has taken approximately 17,000 photos with it. It has quit working? Is that a normal life expectancy for that camera?

Should I purchase a new camera or have the existing camera repaired?

Does her volume of photos suggest I should look into a higher end camera?

Any comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[Deleted1929]

That amount of shutter actuations is below what's I'd expect from a DSLR. An entry level DsLR is typically rated for 50,000+ shots before the shutter fails. It can in principle fail any time before or after that, but that's the average to expect. And this only refers to the shutter.

However that doesn't mean something else hasn't broken, or that something has been done to the camera or lens that causes it's to fail.

So what exactly does "It has quit working" mean ?

--
StephenG

 

[rsn48]

I have the Xsi, also the Original Digital Rebel purchased in 2003, it will ten next year. You might want to get a quote before deciding, needless to say, if the quote is high, time to get a newer used camera.

--
"Photography is, indeed, an inclusive language."
Ansel Adams

 

[JTWindham]

"It has quit working." - It will not focus and therefore won't engage the shutter to take the photo.

 

[JTWindham]

It appears that it may be either a lens issue or an auto focus issue. The problem is occuring consistently while on AF using the 18-55mm lens. When using MF everything appears to be working properly.

When I change to the 55-250mm lens the AF works most of the time but it still appears to struggle. I can hear the motor or something working hard inside the camera that I have never noticed before. Again, when using MF everything appears to be working properly.

 

[MRM4350]

The auto focus motor is in the lens for all Canon auto focus lenses. Try cleaning the contacts on each lens, and those in the camera lens mount. It could be an enviornmental issue affecting the electronics.
--
Michael
http://www.flickr.com/photos/c36sailor/

 

[JTWindham]

What is the best way to clean them?

 

[Skipper494]

My Fujifilm MX-600 Zoom is thirteen years old and still working. In your case, buy new, as there have been many improvements. Even a $85 Nikon L24 will give amazing results.

 

[Thorbard]

I purchased my wife a Canon XSi 3.5 years ago. She has taken approximately 17,000 photos with it. It has quit working? Is that a normal life expectancy for that camera?

Should I purchase a new camera or have the existing camera repaired?

Does her volume of photos suggest I should look into a higher end camera?

Any comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

17,000 photos over 3.5 years certainly shows a certain amount of use and while neither is particularly extravagant - I have a 10 year old Canon D30 that still works just fine and your shutter should have an MTBF (mean time before failure) of 50,000 the working life of the camera could have had a hard time during those 3.5 years.

Electronic items can and do fail pretty much at random.

It is unlikely that the cost to have the camera and lenses serviced would be reasonable, so your best bet is to look at the newest Canon Rebel models to see if any of them would be suitable. There is no real need to look at a higher end SLR unless there are features at that level that would be additionally useful.

It is worth testing your existing lenses on a new body prior to purchase to make sure that there are no pre-exiting faults with these that would inhibit your enjoyment of a new camera. Again it may be cheaper to replace these lenses with new 'kit' items than to have them serviced or repaired.